The next morning yume watched as twilight rushed out speeding through breakfast.
"Sorry everyone i got an emergency call from canterlot that i must respond to immediately something about changelings invading" said twilight around a slice of toast. She briefly thought of the alternate chrysalis she met last night.
"Me and sparity are going out gem hunting want to come with us" spike asked.
"No sorry but i wish you two a good time" said twilight.
What will you do today rarity, yume?" she added looking to her remaining two guests.
"What will i do today? I think ill take another walk around town" said rarity.
"Ill go with you rarity and maybe train in my new abilities. Night rouge is still out there along with other riders and i need to get used to fighting long term. If i didn't find that token when i did i was not going to last long. Im still new to being a kamen rider after all and while i can summon back up well i still need to work on my teamwork with said backup. Which i'm going to have to ask dawn for help with later" yume said as everyone here now knew of his abilities. And what had happened last night even as it took them a while to digest. Especially as most of those riders were copies created by a collection of cards. Alex was a good indicator of yume not being a isolated incident in the multiverse.
With that yume and rarity found themselves at sweet apple acres.
Following the sounds of impacts the two found apple eden harvesting apples... With martial arts. With apple eden getting startled on at nearly hitting rarity.
"Im so sorry i didn't know you were there!" she exclaimed closing her eyes.
"It's okay im not harmed" rarity waved off. 'sweet celestia that was close i thought i was going to death again' she thought.
"Interesting use of martial arts though maybe you can help me with mine i know the bare basics and with my job i'm going to need better combat skills" yume said chuckling knowing that most riders have some degree in hand to hand. Though why did his driver make a second rabbit fullbottle on his night stand he didn't know. The speed from it was going to come in handy though.
"Uh sure. Anyway anything i can do for you miss rarity" asked eden.
"I just wanted to see what sweet apple acres looked like in this age that's all are there any others?" rarity asked.
"Actually i work alone here in the apple fields while my cousin works somewhere else, and her mother does housework, my mother sells apples in the crystal empire, my dad sells apples in the griffon empire" started eden and as she went on rarity had a odd expression on her face while yume had a sweatdrop form on his head.
'i heard of family business but this really takes it up to eleven it seems' yume thought not sure what rarity was thinking but by her expression might have been hilarious if spoke aloud.
"Well you must be hard working mare if your able to work on this large field alone" rarity said with a smile.
"Actually it's just... For everypony else's protection my mother said it was to dangerous to work near me" eden said and yume blinked confused but with what he saw of her... Right insane strength he could see why it would be dangerous to be near her on the job.
"Oh.... Well.... I think i'll just let you get back you work while i go see to the others" rarity said as she and yume started leaving.
"Good morning by the way" she called over her shoulder.
"Have a nice day miss rarity and you too little one" eden said the last bit a bit quieter as they moved away bu yume caught it and looked around before spotting a ghost on rarity's back that looked like a smaller version of sparity with her coloration being black and blue instead of lavender and green but she still had her mothers eyes from what yume could tell. He blinked realizing rarity was pregnant as the spirit sunk into her body. Well that was going to be interesting. Rarity looked to be in deep thought and yume saw she didn't notice the ground shaking as he turned his head to see eden had caused a earthquake to quicken her job. He was now slightly regretting asking her for help on his martial arts. He might go armored if only to stay alive.
Entering the farm house rarity called out. "Hello anyone home?"
"Wow place feels homely" yume noted feeling some of his just gained stress leaving.
"Oh the house may have changed but it still gives off the same homely cottage felling it always has" agreed rarity before she spotted something.
"Oh what's this? Is it some kind of outfit or armor?" she asked looking at some kind of display and yume himself took a look.
Inside was a outfit that looked familiar to yume with chainmail greaves and other such armor that didn't look like plate armor and next to it was a longsword.
"Huh odd i get the feeling i saw something like this before but it's a bit faint like i should know it on sight or something" yume noted.
"But which species can wear this, it's a bit small for a minotaur for the top and the legs are not quite right for a diamond dog" said rarity frowning.
"Actually this looks like armor humans used to wear in ages past before plate armor was invented or around that time" yume said but the way it looked made him think it was more recent for him then it should.
"It's something i used to wear on my long journey on another world, so it is true, your still alive and have returned, sorry i couldn't be at your party yesterday i only just got back from dodge city and only heard about it from apple eden this morning" said a voice from behind the two making them jump.
'that voice' rarity thought and turned around. "Granny smith" she called surprised and yume turned around to find a scarred orange mare in a stetson hat with a ring through a necklace and was that a halo on her head? The scar on her chest caught yume's attention as the fact despite the long slash from her right shoulder to bellow her left armpit there was a star shaped scar right over her heart and a familiar marking it was to yume and looking at a nearby window showed a sword hilt poking over the sill with the sound of flames out the window. Things finally clicked into place for yume on where he saw that armor before.
"Was that supposed to be a joke rarity my voice can't be that old" asked the mare sounding ticked off.
"Oh sweet nightmare moon it's been so long i never thought i would ever see you again!" rarity cried as she embraced the mare making yume confused.
"Me too i missed you so much" exclaimed the mare. "And i said im applejack my body cant be that dark" she added making yume wonder when she said her name before going wide eyed. So this was aj jr's mother aj sr. Her namesake.
"Well nice to meet you ma'am i'm yume hidki i think i met your daughter yesterday though i wish she didn't be rude to her friends she blew off dawn when he was talking to her after i helped her save a dragoness from some figures from my world" yume said making applejack sr go wide eyed.
"Before applejack could say something rarity distracted her.
"But what happened to your country mare skin? Why is it covered in scars like this! I know you never prioritized beauty but why would you let yourself get hurt like this" she asked and yume winced seeing she unknowingly placed the tip of her horn at applejack's neck just under her jaw.
"Rarity your horn! Back up a bit before you accidently jam it into her neck" yume said wide eyed as he panicked a bit.
She went wide eyed and backed up blushing as applejack breathed a sigh of relief.
"I got these scars from another world. Im lucky to just receive them instead of losing a limb or my own life. The world i lived was always fighting and filled with horrors. I had lived in that dark and ruel place for two years until twilight rescued me fourteen years ago with her portal technology" applejack said.
"Yeah lordan has that effect especially as you picked up the curse on the place" yume said with a sigh scratching the back of his head making rarity and applejack snap their heads to him.
"You know where she's been/ what do you mean curse?" both demanded.
"In order yes i do the events of that world was fiction back in my world so that universe as known as the dark souls verse. As to the second question dragons are supposed to be immortal in that world and managing to kill one had left a curse on the residents. The marking on applejack's chest is a sign of the curse. It's called the dark sign. So sorry to break it to you applejack but you did in fact lose your life in a way. That dark sign marks you as undead. And if you got that bonfire outside when you die you will just reappear at the bonfire. Your effectively immortal like that" yume said frowning.
"Guess that makes the two of us somewhat the same considering my daughter was my dark side before reviving me in exchange of being reborn as sparity" said rarity with a chuckle.
"Explains a bit of what i know about the half dragon though i think dawn knows more about her a bit more than i do as i only arrived in this world yesterday so i don't know much... And something about her does feel a little off" yume mused as well when he met sparity something about her felt older then she should.
"And what's with that ring? Why do you keep it close like that... Wait don't tell me it's..." rarity asked turning back to applejack and she looked thankful for the topic change.
"Yes rarity it's my engagement ring" said applejack.
"Oh congratulations! Who's the lucky stallion and when are you two going to marry" rarity asked and yume winced he could already tell what happened to the father.
"It's never going to happen rarity... He's been dead for 14 years now. He's been dead before our child was even born and i was left in that cruel world all lone until twilight found me and brought me back to our peaceful world" applejack said hiding her eyes under the shadow of her hat. "For two years i had fought in that world with the hope of seeing my family again. I tried so hard to survive until i returned to equestria only to find more than 150 years had passed by in equestria. It was just like they were alive yesterday but now lie in their graves and i never even had the chance to say goodbye. my sorrow nearly killed me but with twilight and my future apple family's support i had passed that hard time and gave birth to my own little apple. A child i had with a man from another world" said applejack clearly reminiscing.
"Unfortunately this world is no longer going to be peaceful. Yesterday and last night showed that much. See i wasn't the only thing brought to equestria. My card collection followed and has been scattered creating what are kind of echos of legendary figures from my home out of them. Kamen riders. Both good and evil ones. When i met your daughter i was going to save her from a evil rider that wasn't in my collection. Kamen rider glaive. He was supposed to be a immortal being but well shody medical practices after the beating he last received made him mortal. I finished him off and what remained of him became a card alongside his weapon and giving me the ability to use his finishers. With how injured he was it was a even fight but last night i met the latest evil rider i knew who was more out of my league and had been lucky to find something to call back up and drive him off while showing i still have a long way to go. Again not part of my collection but this world's pandora box was found and after what that thing did to mars back home it's not exactly a good thing. Currently i have one of the needed keys to unlock the damn thing. Out of sixty. Don't know much more other than that though that event was just starting when i entered equestria" yume said.
"That was so sad! I'm sorry i reminded you of it all" rarity sobbed on a sofa making yume jump.
"It's okay rarity i'm fine now" said applejack. 'she kept that sofa?' she thought.
"Where in the world did the sofa come from it wasn't there a second ago" yume vocalized the thought as he stared wide eyed making rarity blush.
Applejack giggled at that reaction. "you haven't changed at all sugarcube. Always the drama queen" she said
"Oh hush! Do you think time could change me? Not at all! My generosity remains the same as well. So if you ever feel lonely again don't hesitate to tell me... And my handsome gentledrake. It would be just like that good old time in the barn" rarity said.
"RARITY!" applejack yelped blushing up a storm and yume stared at her wide eyed.
"I really didn't need to hear that about your lovelife rarity and you just aired that out in front of a fellow guest of twilight" yume said making the unicorn freeze as yume was technically a stranger and she forgot he was there in the first place. Talk about embarrassing not just applejack but herself as well.
"So aj where is your daughter" asked rarity to change that topic from her mortification.
"Hmm well i asked her to take care of the corn fields but i know my daughter well enough to know she might already snuck away to practice her fighting skills" said applejack clearly miffed at that.
"Sneaking away from a assigned job? That doesn't sound like a daughter of a hard working mare like yourself" said rarity.
"She is more like her father. A fighter at heart her head always seeks the thrill of the fight" said applejack and yume shook his head.
"That would be the human genetics at play. Conflict is hard coded in us we just need a reason for it. And adaption is a trait perfect for such a thing. With such a half and half being aj jr is always going to be a fighter and as her mother's daughter a defender as she might feel like she needs to keep up with the sheer strength of eden. And her ability to become a meister with a partner becoming a weapon her instincts are as tuned to that as it can get" yume revealed.
"Fight? What does she fight for?" rarity asked filing that information away.
"Well she is the current element of loyalty for the new mane six. Her and her friends have to save the day just like we used to do in the past" said applejack.
"Why loyalty" asked rarity.
"Err it might be because she isn't very honest i guess" said applejack clearly embarrassed at that fact.
"More like she's not honest with herself not letting on what she really feels and puts up a wall to distance herself thinking she could protect her friends by keeping them at a distance. And has put herself in a very black and white mentality from what i know of her from yesterday and it took a lot for her to accept ace's help when i got to her to save her from glave" yume reminded.
"Speaking of which i'm going to have a long talk to her again about that unfortunately she got her stubbornness from both me and her father" said applejack clearly not liking the fact she was being reckless again it seemed.
"Hey aj it's been kinda bothering me for a while now but what is that ring" asked rarity.
"The ring but i already explained that" applejack said.
"She means the halo above your head" yume clarified.
"Halo! Are you a angel applejack" asked rarity shocked.
"Yep but only for yesterday when i helped the crusaders in getting their movie maker cutie mark i guess i simply forgot to take it off my hat until now" applejack said taking it off.
Then started eating it.
"Is that halo even edible" asked rarity.
'well it is made of marshmallow" applejack replied making yume blink in confusion. "I can't help it marshmallows made by marshmellow are the best marshmallows their delicious" she said noticing.
"I'm surprised no one got a sugar rush as those are made of mostly sugar" yume said remembering how kids normally get hyped by sugar.
Exiting the house the three got ready to head out.
"I have to go and check the corn fields now, have to harvest it for my lazy daughter. Will you be fine on your own now rarity" asked applejack.
I will be fine aj see you again another time?" asked rarity.
"Sure and i promise it wont take 150 years this time" she replied.
Yume saw rarity glance at the bonfire with a sword sticking out.
"Remember that bonfire i mentioned earlier? Thats it surprised she made this one though as well that means she's the fire keeper for this world. At least it didn't take her sight like the one her husband knew in lordan" yume explained.
"What do you mean?" asked rarity.
"Her life is tied to the flame though not like other fire keepers. She can make it stronger but mainly if she dies she revives at the flame instead of the flame dying with her. Different world different rules so to speak." he said making rarity nod in understanding.
"We better go find applejack jr if only so her mother knows where she is" said rarity.
Summoning his hoverbike yume chuckled. "Well ill go by air might find her faster that way" yume said flying off. He needed to get used to this bike for the long one.